by Dr. Bob Ouellette

 Worcester Winetasters                                               May 2001

 Comments on Italian 1997 wines

             Two Italian wine tastings in one week. That’s a lot but quite interesting since this evening we had the pleasure of appreciating the virtues of the 97 vintage . Having had the pleasure of being in Italy in 1997 and getting an early appreciation for this great vintage, it was equally anxious for some of us to see how they measured 4 years later. No problems, the 97 vintage is as good if not better.

             For the most part, we were dealing with the Sangiovese grape here and one exception, the Liano , a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. As much as the first mentioned grape produces great wine, I personally think that it becomes even greater when combined with Cabernet Sauvignon. The scores here certainly point in that direction.

             All wines presented a great dark ruby color and blossoming fruit. Hints of tobacco, spice, and dark cherry fruit were evident in all wines. Certainly the soft tannins blending equally well with enough acids promised long life as forecasted by wine reviewers and local wine growers that we met on our trip.  

            The one thing that bothers me as well as others that I talked to including some representatives, are the  labels. I once thought that German labels were the hardest to understand, but unfortunately, the Italian labels are equally difficult once you bypass the Chianti wines that are easily noted  on the front. Take for example –Liano and Ciabatta- who would know  where these wines come from and what grapes are involved---Sangiovese ,Nebbiolo, Barbera etc…Neither the front or back label often will not help and for me, that’s a big problem in choosing an Italian wine.

              Finally, one more troublesome point is the escalating cost of most Italian wines. However, I suppose this is not a problem only with Italian Wines….Leaving these comments aside, the 1997 vintage in Italy was a super one and one that you can safely hunt and add to your cellar holdings.  Arrividerci…..

           drbob@oxfordwineroom.com